Monday, 17th December 2012

Howzit

This is probably going to be my last posting until next year, seeing as the University has shut down until the 8th of January, and I am going to be away for 14 days come Thursday.

So – whilst Zimbabweans around the world reflect on the sad state of affairs back home, I would like to take the opportunity to wish each and every one of my reader a very merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous 2013.

-o00o-

I first heard this on the news yesterday morning, but the announcer couldn’t get their tongue around the surname and I was left saying, “Huh?”

Former Sheffield United, Coventry City and Birmingham City striker Peter Ndlovu has been critically injured in a car accident in his native Zimbabwe.

His older brother Adam, 42, died in the crash at Victoria Falls on Sunday morning.

"I understand that efforts are being made to airlift Peter Ndlovu from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo," tweeted David Coltart, the country's sports minister.

"My prayers are with you Peter, be strong."

An as-yet unidentified woman who was travelling with the Ndlovu brothers was also killed, Zimbabwe's NewsDay reported.

The newspaper said Adam was at the wheel of Peter's BMW X5, when a tyre burst and the vehicle veered off the road, hitting several trees before rolling.

Peter, 39, made more than 100 appearances for the three English league teams, scoring 91 goals. He also spent a short period on loan to Huddersfield Town.

Sheffield United tweeted: "Our thoughts are with former player Peter Ndlovu, who has been critically injured in a car accident in his native Zimbabwe."

A statement from Birmingham City read: "The thoughts of everyone associated with Birmingham City Football Club are with Peter Ndlovu and his family following news of a serious car crash in Zimbabwe.

"Peter was a very popular player during his time at St Andrew's and we hope he pulls through this difficult time."

Former Coventry team mate Darren Huckerby wrote: "Terrible news about Peter Ndlovu and his brother, hope he pulls through."

Peter has been working as a coach for the Zimbabwe Young Warriors Under 23 team.

His brother Adam was also a professional footballer, carving out a career in Switzerland, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

(Source)

I saw some photographs of the crashed BMW online this morning and do not believe that anything would be achieved by publishing them here.

My heart goes out to the Ndlovu on the sad and tragic loss of Adam, whilst I send wishes for a speedy recovery to Peter.

-o00o-

Kunonga seized the bank accounts of the church… What state are they in now? If there is any money missing then prosecutions must follow…

Mainstream Anglican Christians in Zimbabwe have taken back their cathedral after a lockout of more than five years staged by an excommunicated, breakaway bishop who claimed loyalty to the president's party and used loyalist police to keep people out.

Worshippers from across the country and regional church leaders thronged the central Harare square on Sunday for a service to "cleanse and re-dedicate" the historic colonial-era cathedral towering over the square.

Bishop Chad Gandiya struck the main doors three times with a pastoral staff to have them opened. He blessed what he called the "defiled" interior with signs of the cross ahead of the first Eucharist service by mainstream Anglicans since they were often violently banished from churches and missions seized nationwide.

The nation's highest court has declared the seizures illegal.

Breakaway Bishop Nolbert Kunonga launched a campaign a decade ago against the regional Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa to which Zimbabwe belongs, claiming it supported gay rights. In outspoken sermons, he backed militants of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in violent elections and repeated much of Mugabe's criticism of his political opponents and the United States and Britain, the former colonial power before independence in 1980.

Kunonga seized church bank accounts and cars as his followers occupied church schools, orphanages and other properties.

Gandiya's diocese officials said many of those facilities went into disrepair - churches were locked and ousted worshippers held their services in Catholic church halls, public areas and homes.

Some church buildings were turned into dormitories and food kitchens for Kunonga's supporters. Others were turned into flea markets and drinking halls that attracted prostitutes, officials said.

"We must all ensure this never happens again," Gandiya told cheering and ululating congregants. "Let us be ready for the journey from the past to the future. Let's press on to rebuild our church."

Kunonga removed burial plaques, tombstones, carvings and commemorative displays honouring prominent colonial-era citizens as well as black soldiers of the colonial African Rifles regiment who fought for Britain and its allies in the First and Second World Wars. Those relics are believed to have been destroyed.

(Source)

It is my understanding that Mugabe and his party have turned their back on Kunonga. Good – but will Kunonga and his followers be punished for destroying the memorials in the churches?

Does Kunonga think that by destroying the memorials that the Rhodesian African Rifles didn’t exist?

Mugabe is always referring the the ‘liberation struggle’ but tries to remove any vestige of that period from Zimbabwe. Does that mean that Mugabe would have us believe that Rhodesia never existed?

Perhaps Kunonga and Mugabe need to have a word with themselves…

-o00o-

Someone needs to explain to ZANU PF that negotiations are a manner of discussing a problem with a view to solving it by finding common ground between the interested parties.

This mean compromise – not agreeing something and then promptly throwing it out, expecting the negotiations to be done all over again.

When were ZANU PF going to realise that they are not the ruling party in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwean parties this week once again went back to square one, re-opening negotiations for a new constitution after President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF rejected a draft constitution which it had helped write in more than three years of hard bargaining.

But in a new cabinet committee set up to renegotiate the constitution, President Robert Mugabe refused to budge on Thursday from the objections Zanu-PF had raised to the charter its negotiators had agreed to in July.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) constitutional affairs minister Eric Matinenga, who chairs the committee, said the team would meet again tomorrow to try again. “It is work in progress, but something positive is happening,” he said.

The high-level committee comprises the principals from each party in the unity government, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the bigger MDC, Industry Minister Welshman Ncube, leader of the smaller MDC and Mugabe, who was confirmed last week as Zanu-PF’s candidate in the next presidential poll scheduled to be held next year.

Ncube had at first refused to participate in the new committee, saying the three parties had already agreed to a draft constitution. But he relented this week.

The three parties had agreed in July to a draft constitution after three years of hard bargaining and released it to the public.

The most significant reform in the draft charter was a considerable reduction in presidential powers and some devolution of power from the central government to the provinces.

Zanu-PF hardliners then intervened and overrode their own negotiating team, releasing a 29-page document objecting to much of the draft, mainly those sections which diminished the power of the president.

Zanu-PF’s politburo made the same objections which it brought to a stakeholders’ conference in October. But the MDC rejected Zanu-PF’s proposed changes, saying they had already made substantial concessions during the three years of negotiations.

They said Zanu-PF should have raised its objections during those negotiations and pointed out that the cabinet minister-level Zanu-PF negotiators had reported to Mugabe all the way, so he knew what concessions they had made.

Many MDC officials and analysts believe Zanu-PF is deliberately stalling the process until the current unity government expires next year, so that they can go into elections on the old constitution which favours Zanu-PF, as it
would leave its powers intact.

Mugabe appeared to confirm these suspicions when he told his party’s annual conference last week: “If they do not (agree), I am going to declare sooner or later the day of an election. Enough is enough. We cannot continue to drag our feet on this.”

But Finance Minister Tendai Biti, the MDC secretary-general, disagreed, saying recently: “Zimbabwe clearly is not ready for an election; it’s impossible to have an election in March. We will limp our way to some form of acceptable agreement. Our people are tired. They want a solution. They want peace. So I think we will reach an agreement because everyone is exhausted.”

If or when it has been finalised, the draft charter is expected to be put to a referendum, leading to the new elections, which would have to be held by next October.

The delay in resolving the political impasse is aggravating Zimbabwe’s tough economic predicament with a recent slow-down in the recovery that began after the multiparty government was established in February 2009 and began to repair the damage inflicted on Zimbabwe by 29 years of Zanu-PF rule.

The World Bank warned this week that anxiety over Zimbabwe’s next elections and lack of clarity on Mugabe’s “indigenisation” policy had created a gloomy outlook for the economy.

The latest research note released by the bank predicts that Zimbabwe’s recovery or growth will be 6 percent next year, moderating to 5 percent in 2014 and 2015 “as (the) level of investment remains below potential”, reads the report in part.

“The outlook remains fragile and clouded by possible compression of exports due to the unfolding global economic slowdown, the risk of disorderly unwinding of vulnerabilities in the banking sector, downside risk in the agricultural sector, potential destabilising effects of (the) indigenisation programme on the economy, external vulnerability and uncertainty from the new electoral cycle.”

The World Bank noted Zimbabwe had not entered a sustained path to recovery, adding that growth in the mining sector was inhibited by limited exploration affected by increased fees for prospecting and exploration.

The mining sector accounts for more than 50 percent of the country’s exports.

A manufacturer in Harare said this week: “I think our statistics will show that the fourth quarter this year has been disastrous.

“We can see persistent decline in manufacturing to a level we last saw before the collapse in 2008 through hyper-inflation.”

(Source)

And while the parties negotiate, Mugabe continues to dig in, saying that economic sanctions are causing the Zimbabwean economy to fail… and that there will be no reforms until the sanctions are lifted.

What I have always stated, is that Mugabe fails to substantiate these claims, and just hangs on for dear life…

-o00o-

During the ‘liberation struggle’ – the Rhodesian bush war – there were pirate radio stations that beamed signal into the country in an attempt to ‘educate’ the masses. Now Mugabe claims that these stations are doing the same and wants them banned, shut down and punished.

Very simply… no.

A recent Zanu PF conference proposed to jam the signals of foreign-based radio stations such as VOA’s Studio 7, Radio Voice of the People and SW Radio Africa that party officials accuse of pushing a Western-backed regime change agenda in Zimbabwe. But critics say such a move would deny the majority of people access to important alternative sources of information to make informed decisions.

They argue that President Robert Mugabe’s party wants to continue its domination of the airwaves in order to maintain the status quo. But Zanu PF officials maintain these radio stations are breaking the law and should be jammed. For perspective, VOA reporter Violet Gonda (VG) spoke to the MDC-T’s Settlement Chikwinya (SC) chair of the Parliamentary Portfolio on Media Information, Publicity and Communications Technology, and Simba Mudarikwa (SM), a Zanu PF official who sits on the same media committee.

SM: Violet, thank you for bringing about that topic and actually noting that unfortunate revolution from the Zanu PF 13th conference. It is quite unfortunate because Zanu PF is a party to the Global Political Agreement (GPA), which gave birth to the inclusive government and therefore Zanu PF must be seen to be committed to provisions of the Global Political Agreement. I will refer you to Article 19, sub-section C2 of the GPA, which says the government shall encourage the Zimbabweans running or working for external radio stations, broadcasting into Zimbabwe, to return to Zimbabwe.

We have a case in point of Voice of the People (VOP), which made an application when the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) called for applications when we wanted to issue out licenses for two commercial radio stations. The inclusive government should actually have turned Article 19 from a statement of intent to a statement of action by actioning the provision of licensing VOP - therefore showing its commitment to the provisions of media diversity and plurality.

But unfortunately they only gave them to extensions of ZBC, they only gave them to mouth pieces which can only promote Zanu PF. So it is quite unfortunate that they want to jam foreign funded radio stations when they still control news content here in Zimbabwe.

VG: Mr Mudarikwa?

SM: Let us clear the whole thing. The first and foremost thing - is the only foreign based radio station which applied for a license is VOP. SW Radio Africa did not apply, Studio 7 did not apply. Some local radios applied but did not meet the criteria and they appealed to the Parliamentary Committee on Media and Information - to say we have made an application and this is the anomaly. So these other radios never really even cared to apply and later on never even cared to appeal.

The issue of broadcasting in Zimbabwe is a constitutional issue, it is part of the GPA, as honourable chairperson is mentioning, but radio broadcasting as it stands, I think the honourable chairperson is aware that they are building up base stations in Zimbabwe for community radios. The whole of Zimbabwe there will be community radios. When we met with relevant authorities they were now building base stations for opening up of the airwaves. We now have more than 10 media houses now registered, publishing more than 3 daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, monthly magazines, plenty plus. But we must never remain in the past. We must always continue to look into the future.

VG: But Mr Mudarikwa let me just come in there, if you say we must always look into the future, why is it that Zanu PF continues to threaten these external radio stations by wanting to jam their signals?

SM: Why should you broadcast in America for Zimbabwe when there is nobody in Zimbabwe broadcasting to America?

VG: But you know why these radio stations are broadcasting from outside Zimbabwe - mainly because Zanu PF actually controls the airwaves in Zimbabwe…(interrupted)

SM: No, No, No…

VG: Furthermore, if you have a problem with specific broadcasters like Studio 7 or SW Radio Africa, doesn’t it seem unbelievable that you would actually allow these same broadcasters to have FM licences in Zimbabwe?

SM: You can get a licence, that’s why I am saying you are still living in the past. You still believe Zanu PF doesn’t want to hear shortwave radio when we listen all the time. I listen to your station because it actually reaches all the other areas. You think Zanu PF doesn’t want to hear what you say. What is it that you are scared of to make an application?

VG: But VOP was denied a license. That is one example - one of the external radio stations… (interrupted)

SM: No, No, No… Are you VOP?

VG: Zimbabweans have a right to access information from whatever source and basically, why should it be up to a certain political party to determine who should have a license in Zimbabwe?

SM: So what you want is for people to bring license forms to your office so to make an application? Why should you get that special treatment?

VG: Mr Chikwinya your thoughts?

SC: Yes, I’m quite happy that honourable Mudarikwa is actually alluding to the fact that Short Wave Radio Africa and Studio 7 are actually reaching out to all areas in Zimbabwe. That is basically one of the reasons why we are crying out for radio stations with enough capacity to be able to distribute news content to everyone in Zimbabwe - so that people will make informed choices especially at this time when we are going for elections.

However honourable Mudarikwa is a veteran of the liberation struggle - he will know that when Ian Smith muzzled the broadcasting airwaves in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF established a radio station in Mozambique and that radio station managed to assist in waging the liberation struggle until the colonial powers were defeated.

The fact of the matter is that if you muzzle broadcasting space in your own country, people of the same country will move out and establish broadcasting stations operating from other countries which are actually friendly to democratic processes, which are actually friendly to progressive forces which promote democracy and media freedom.

Therefore, it is Violet Gonda a Zimbabwean person who is broadcasting from America. It is actually Jonga Kandemiiri a Zimbabwean child broadcasting from America. So the same concept which worked during the liberation struggle is the same concept which is working now because the people of Zimbabwe, in as far as the media is concerned, are still waging a liberation struggle in order for them to free themselves, for them to be able to actually have media diversity and media plurality.

I am also quite happy that honourable Mudarikwa mentioned about community radio stations. I just want to assist and correct him in this manner. The government of Zimbabwe is planning to establish community radio stations, not community radio stations which are going to be controlled by communities but community radio stations which are going to be controlled by government! And this is again is the same scenario which Ian Smith did during the liberation struggle when he established Radio Jacaranda in Zim.

We are calling for truly community based radio stations, radio stations like Radio Kwela, Radio Makomo in Manicaland, Radio Masvingo in Masvingo province, they are there currently and are ready to establish, but the government does not want to issue them with licenses. It wants to issue state controlled community radio stations where it continues to have an extension of muzzling democratic freedom in as far as media is concerned.

VG: You seem to be crying foul all the time, but what is the MDC doing about this? What are you doing about making sure that there are proper media reforms in Zimbabwe?

SC: The MDC is truly a part in the inclusive government, and as the MDC we have lobbied at the SADC forum that we reform the bodies that actually control the editorial policies that govern news contents at the public broadcasters. You would recall that in August of 2010 SADC made a resolution that the governing bodies of state media - like the Mass Media Trust, the ZBH board - must be reconstituted in recognisance of parliamentary representation of the three political parties, to say the 5-5-3 formation. But the chairperson of cabinet is President Robert Mugabe.

He is the implementer of such resolutions, that’s the first thing. The second issue is that the minister responsible for Media and Information and Publicity is honourable Webster Shamu - again the conduit responsible for bringing the necessary legislation to parliament. But we can only do so much if the executive is reluctant - especially the minister responsible and the President who chairs the cabinet. S we cannot go far. This is why the Prime Minister said on May 3 2011 that ‘if I had a way I was going to fire Webster Shamhu because he is refusing to reconstitute the BAZ, he is refusing to reconstitute the Mass Media Trust, he is refusing to reconstitute the ZBH Act”.

And if Webster Shamu refuses to reconstitute these bodies with the blessing of President Robert Mugabe, we can only place the matter before the public for the public to know that they are being denied media freedoms and media diversity because of the Zanu PF arm in government.

VG: So basically what you are saying is the MDC has failed?

SC: We have not failed because we are not alone; if we were alone we would have said we have failed. We have played our part. We have won the SADC resolutions. We have won even in as far as having a say to the editorial content of even those perceived radio stations which are perceived to be extensions of ZBC - the Star FM and ZiFM.

You and I would agree that Zimbabweans are quite happy to the extent to which Star FM and ZiFM are actually having their editorial content. However, their space is limited because you can see the shadow of George Charamba hovering above them and they are limited.

However, they are trying to please us because we mentioned to them at the time they were licensed that if you are going to be an extension or a clone of Zanu PF, we will make sure that your licenses are revoked. So we have done our apart, but we could do better if we were alone as a government. We could do better if we were in control of the media ministries. We could do better if Morgan Tsvangirai was the President and chair of cabinet.

VG: Mr Mudarikwa, what do you make of these accusations being made by Mr Chikwinya?

SC: We have to look at this thing in an open way. We don’t want to mention names or anything. Honourable Minister Shamu is not the Chairperson of the Media Commission. The Media Commission was legally constituted; the SORC was responsible for interviewing the people in the Media Commission. In that media commission there are people who were recommended by MDC, there are people who were recommended by Zanu PF to be in the media commission. I have the minutes and he (Chikwinya) also has the papers. Everything is in black and white.

Our unfortunate situation is that most of the people who are with ZiFM and Star FM once worked for ZBC. They are doing excellent work now. They have massive listenership but you can’t tell a broadcasting station to say you must be a ‘Chinja maitiro’, that’s not it. A broadcasting station is an independent institution with people who have their own editorial policies. Same applies with your station, you have editorial policy.

And it’s unfortunate that their editorial policy differs with that of MDC. That is part of democracy, we cannot all be the same, we differ in views but at the end of the day we must all agree that we are Zimbabweans, we must broadcast from Zimbabwe.

VG: Unfortunately Mr Mudarikwa and Mr Chikwinya, I’ve run out of time. Thank you very much for talking to us.

(Source)

So Mugabe would prefer it that the airwaves in Zimbabwe only have ZANU PF content. And anyone wanting any other content is a ‘pirate’ and needs to be jammed.

What about his people using the same tactics during the bush war? Are we supposed to accept his want to have only ZANU PF content because the Rhodesians were removed from office?

-o00o-

It is said that if you lie down with dogs, you will gets up with fleas.

Mugabe is prepared to overlook bribery and corruption just to keep a few of his ardent flock on side.

Corrupt ministers fingered in high level graft by President Robert Mugabe at the just-ended ZANU-PF people’s conference have been let off the hook with no action likely to be taken against them until Parliament is dissolved before next year’s polls.

The ZANU-PF leader divulged at the party’s indaba held in Gweru that former South African president Thabo Mbeki had told him that some local ministers had demanded kickbacks from South Africans who were seeking to invest in the country, claiming President Mugabe also wanted a share of the spoils.

Although President Mugabe did not state when the report was made to him by Mbeki, no minister has been arrested or investigated despite the seriousness of the claims, with the former generalising that those who are corrupt would be fired.

This week, Mbeki’s spokesperson, Mukoni Ratshitanga declined to reveal the names of those said to have been exposed by the former South African leader.

“I think you should approach the spokesperson for President Mugabe.

“The matter did not reach the public domain via us. It reached through President Mugabe,” said Ratshitanga.

Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba could not be immediately reached for comment.

However, sources in ZANU-PF said two of the party’s ministers who are among the most active Cabinet ministers were at the centre of the scam.

They also claimed that President Mugabe was not likely to crack the whip on the two ministers as they were part of those who submitted reports on their respective departments at the conference, with nothing being mentioned about their actions.

Besides lifting the lid on Mbeki’s claims, President Mugabe in a foreword to the Central Committee report presented at the party’s conference also revealed that the corruption cancer has extended to some ministers deployed by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations, but again no action has been taken.

“The leadership of the opposition MDC formations have spent their time in office lining up their pockets and seeking the trappings of luxury but with no achievements to show on the policy front.

None whatsoever! In the process, the leadership of the opposition MDC formations have abandoned their own supporters for self aggrandisement,” said President Mugabe.

Critics say a number of known looters occupy positions in government, but no action has been taken against them, with the Anti-Corruption Commission proving to be a toothless bulldog bent only on draining the fiscus with no tangible results on the ground. There are unconfirmed allegations that some of its commissioners have since joined the gravy train.

(Source)

I firmly believe that one of the reasons that Mugabe & Co hang on so diligently is that they know that if someone else takes over, then their dalliances into finance, property and business will be fully exposed.

Then, will there be some sort of retribution?

-o00o-

How can voter registration begin without the ghost voters being removed from the roll first? The only way that this would work is if the registration is if the programme starts with a clean slate and the old roll is abandoned.

The government says it will embark on a massive voter registration exercise next month as it starts preparations for a constitutional referendum and elections sometime next year.

But officials said it will depend mainly on when the new draft constitution is finalized.

The plan to register voters came out of a meeting organized by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and attended by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Zimbabwe Electoral Commissioners to discuss preparations for the forthcoming referendum and elections.

Minister Chinamasa told journalists after the meeting that they also discussed how the government would pay for the two events.

Chinamasa said they agreed to commence a "voter registration blitz on January 3, and also agreed that attempts will be made immediately to raise $21 million."

The meeting resolved that Finance Minister Tendai Biti would be responsible for raising funds.

Chinamasa’s deputy, Obert Gutu, said the prime minister assured them that government would provide most of the funds required for both events.

Gutu said Mr. Tsvangirai and the other principals will meet next week to discuss the issue after which Chinamasa and Biti would meet to discuss the funding details.

"The money is going to come from government, this government is not as broke as people might think, the right honourable minister did promise ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) and all of us present that the events are going to be largely funded by government," said Gutu Meanwhile, ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe said the organization has slashed its referendum budget from $100 to $85 million.

Although President Robert Mugabe has insisted that elections must be held in March next year, Chinamasa said the dates for both the referendum and the election depend on the completion of the constitution-making process.

A committee tasked to resolve contentious issues has deadlocked but is set to meet again Monday to try and break the impasse.

(Source)

Mugabe doesn’t worry about expenditure when it comes to his flitting all over the world, but then the coalition government cries for money for elections?

Have they got money or not?

-o00o-

Why do politicians in Zimbabwe always seem to argue over events that are years old? The MDC split, and now Ncube is intent on splitting the MDC vote by fielding candidates in every constituency… Hasn’t he worked out that this will play into the hands of ZANU PF?

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Industry minister Welshman Ncube’s MDC have exchanged harsh words, blaming each other for the 2005 party split.

Economic adviser for the Tsvangirai-led MDC and Bulawayo South MP, Eddie Cross blamed Ncube for the split, saying the party could still be united had it not been for the latter’s “self centredness”.

Addressing a public meeting here organised by Bulawayo Agenda on Thursday, Cross said it is no secret that Ncube personally caused the split of the MDC.

“Welshman Ncube was responsible for the split of united 2005. He was personally responsible for that and everyone knows about it,” Cross said, adding that no amount of denials by Ncube sympathisers will erase the “fact that he caused the split of the united MDC”.

Tsvangirai and Ncube are former allies who founded the MDC in 1999 with the former as president while Ncube was secretary general.

The vibrant party split in 2005 over strategy and the decision to participate in Senate elections held then.

Ncube, together with the late Gibson Sibanda, formed their own breakaway MDC outfit and invited Arthur Mutambara to lead their formation.

Joshua Mhambi, the Ncube -led MDC policy director, who was one of the panellists, dismissed Cross’s statements as a lie.

“We know who was responsible for the split. Tsvangirai knows very well who was responsible for the split and to say our president was responsible for that is completely wrong,” Mhambi said.

Tsvangirai last year described the acrimonious split of the MDC in 2005 as the “saddest part of his political life”. The premier, during the burial of Sibanda, said the split could have been avoided.

In the run-up to the 2008 poll, the two parties attempted to close ranks and back Tsvangirai as presidential candidate, but Ncube alleges the mainstream MDC kept on shifting goal posts until the talks collapsed.

Tsvangirai and Ncube have also been trading barbs, with Tsvangirai alleging Ncube was a “village politician” without national appeal.

The showdown has put a damper on prospects for the reunification of the two parties to mount a strong challenge against President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF.

Ncube has ruled out reunification with Tsvangirai.

“The things that divide us now make it impossible for us to work together,” he said.

“I have absolutely nothing against the person of Morgan Tsvangirai.

“Our differences are about our political behaviours and the things we do as politicians. I keep underlining, it is on record that our colleagues in the other MDC often practice violence; it is on record that Morgan Tsvangirai himself has reversed collectively made decisions and it is also on record that the local government structures that they control have acted as corruptly if not more corruptly than the Zanu PF ones,” said Ncube.

The acrimony has worsened as officials in the smaller MDC have defected to Tsvangirai’s party in recent months.

Two weeks ago Ncube’s MDC fired three MPs on allegations of aligning themselves to the mainstream MDC.

In 2009 the party expelled Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and Norman Mpofu (Bulilima East) again for allegedly working with the mainstream MDC.

(Source)

When were the two MDC factions going to release that they are elected civil servants and that they are supposed to represent and work for the people. This continual bickering makes the factions laughing stocks…

And ZANU PF love it.

-o00o-

Take care.

‘debvhu